Camp CastAway pictures!

 
At Marina Pier before the arrival of the campers

 

In the ferry on the way there!

Reaching! :)

Steph and Darren =P

Shing leading praise :)

Seow Shi teaching mass dance :)

Jeremy climbing the fence during water bomb game! (Which he later fell and I had to dress up his wound…)

Sunsetting

Night game at 12+am, blindfolded! Muahaha.

The rooster which woke me up!!! And in my sleepy mode, I thought it was an alarm clock!

Seaside :) Overlooking the CBD

Another round of waterbombs the next day. Muaha

Our dorm! (Which looked like an impoverished hospital)

Steph and I =P

At the pier

Waiting for ferry

 

It was pouring!

KJ and I (Half-dead!)

In the ferry.
Vincent and Jiajun drenched!

Totally K.O-ed!!!

Thank God we were all safe and happy that they enjoyed themselves. =)

~~~

After orchestra prac last night…

Sneaked in to watch them rehearse for decentralised service this weekend hahaha

Gabriel playing drums.

Gab: “Deeper in love” is getting deeper…

~~~

Accompanied Henry for dinner earlier…

And he bought this for me.

My 3-day exercise @ St John’s will be in vain soon. Muaha.

~~~

Will be having another camp from Tuesday-Friday @ Pasir Ris Park.

campN.U.R.S.E 2009

Super excited about it yet lazy to wake up in the morning and travel to the other end!

Haven’t packed my stuff too!!!

Ok, till then, take care and enjoy whatever you’re doing. (Happy schooling! =P)

SEEYA!

Had a real long but nice day hehe.

I’m totally zonked out again…

Reason for being here at this obscure hour is…

That I’ve finally made the decision to be BONDED to NUH.

BONDED.

It’s such a frightening word for someone like me. My life seems real versatile and unpredictable, many times I surprise myself (and the people around me).

It’d be for 2 YEARS if I get through the interview… Will definitely ask my preceptor for help haha.

That means sponsored school fee for the next 2 years + monthly allowance of $950.

:)

Year 3 would be $1k per month. :)

Muahaha come be a NURSE. :)

I’m hoping to get into the Oncology department again. Be an Onco nurse haha.

Aileen has Castaway-ed @ St John’s Island! :)

I don’t know where to begin haha.

Firstly I wanna thank God for his protection upon everyone and that injuries and sicknesses were minimal and manageable. :)

Above the fun and games, we were all mightily touched by God during the 2 night sessions. It was incredible! People received revelations and saw visions of them greatly serving God. 

Pictures will be uploaded another time since I left my handphone in a cab on the way home… Thankfully Amber was still in the cab… I was totally zonked out man.

Haha careless me.

Upon waking up this morning, I received news that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has passed on. He was a “self-contained performance”. To me, people like him don’t really die, they simply stop performing ‘live’. Their music lives on in the hearts of people, now and in generations to come.

It was said that his ‘value’ increases even more after his death. His CDs are selling fast now.  I find that ironic.

I admire him because he had a dream and he made it a reality. :) That takes lots of courage, patience and determination. Definitely not something for the weak and faint-hearted.

MJ rocks!!! (Sorry KJ =P)

~~~

Happy that there will be orchestra prac tmr night for the string players. Really love that piece. :)

Will be attending another camp next Tuesday-Friday. It’s our nursing Freshman Orientation Camp muahahaha. Will be OGL for 1 day and game master. :)

Looking forward to that man…HAHAHA…

I shall recuperate for now. :)

Phew~
What a long day!

Started by playing the piano! For fun… And met up a friend to do some art and craft shopping at Popular hahaha.

Colours cheer me up! :)

Carefully drawing :)

Ta da! Our gastrointestinal tract. :)
(Though I’m sure my stomach is SMALLER than that Lol…)

This is to prepare for our Indo trip where we’ll be teaching the children there about healthy eating and stuff. :)

We lost track of time and I had to rush for piano lesson…

~~~

I was very unsettled during lesson and struggled to stay focused. Somehow my mind kept drifting away… Dunno why. Thought of Yundi Li too… :) He’s my motivation. :)

Teacher: You don’t seem to be satisfied with your playing…
Me: Yea…. =/

Teacher: Why do you keep finding fault with your playing?
Me: *sheepish smile*

Because I wanna know how else can I play better? Because I value her words more than any other people regarding my piano playing? And because when I am in her lesson, I’m prepared for any harsh words/comments/corrections.

If she is impatient or agitated cos of my playing, it’s totally understandable. It means that my standard of playing is not up to her expectation of me. It makes me wanna practise harder.

Is there a term for that? “Negative reinforcement” or something?

~~~

Took a 25-minute walk home after lesson while sipping on a cup of bubble tea =)… It’s something I always do to clear my mind after lesson.

Went for orchestra prac after that… Never did we know it’d last 2.5 hours. Lol. But I really enjoyed it tonight :) Though I need a full body massage now. Haha.

Come support us on 23 Aug @ Victoria Concert Hall ok? :)

~~~

I’ll be stranded @ St John’s island from tomorrow to Saturday for my zone’s CASTAWAY camp. Muaha.

Been tasked to be the first aider… Though nurses are not trained to be first aider actually. Hope that nothing goes wrong………

Somehow people always assume that I know everything about medical stuff… But seriously, the medical field is HUGE with many ‘mysteries’ yet to be solved.

I will get quite pissed hearing comments like…

“But you’re a NURSE leh… How can you not know?”

If I’m a math teacher, does that mean that I will know all the math formulas?

So far, I have been asked many questions ranging from head to toe. Maybe I should start charging people for ‘consultation’ fee? Which doctors are smart enough to do so.

Haha, but yea it’s my responsibility to be equipped with knowledge and of cos it’s my pleasure to share whatever knowledge I have…

Just don’t make it seems like it’s my fault for not knowing.

And yes, by the way, I’m really not a nurse yet. Just a noob with 1 year of Nursing study. Certainly not the best person to turn to for help. Haha…

~~~

Oh, I haven’t started packing my bag. I don’t need a lot of things anyway.

Sigh… I will miss my pianooo… :(

Byeeeeeeeeeee…

He's been on my mind the whole of today :)

The reason why I practised piano scales this afternoon and happy that I can now remember all hahaha.

The reason why I smiled briefly to myself on my 1-hour walk at night at the thought of him. Lol...

Tell me, what's there not to love about him? :)

:)

:)

I wish I could migrate somewhere else where it's more condusive for music... Singapore is simply too noisy.

I hate noise.

To the extent of breaking down once in a cab due to noise. For some reason the driver picked me up with his WIFE inside. Nvm I was late for piano lesson. What I didn't know was that she'd be grumbling on her handphone for my entire trip.

And that the driver would be tuned to a radio station I didn't like.

?! I was literally put in a pressure oven. I made a fuss out of it and the driver charged me $10 instead of $15. But that's not the point...

The moment I got off the cab, I broke down. Can you imagine the pressure? Maybe it's only me... The best part was, my piano teacher saw everything from 2nd storey.

Well you must be thinking, didn't I have better things to cry over other than noise???

Haha. I think I'm just weird/strange/different/SPECIAL. However you like it.

One week of holiday is gone. :(
Been busy with stuff… Wishing for at least one day of nothingness.

I did an amazing feat on Sunday… Sleeping from 10pm-10am!!! WOW :) It was the most wonderful uninterrupted sleep ever. Lol…

Today was spent practising cello… Choreographing dance steps @ SeowShi’s house and going gaga over YUNDI LI (李云迪).

He’s one of the best pianists in the world. His music have the power to move my heart and bring tears to my eyes… It’s purely honest and sincere music…

And his smile… Ah… I think if he smiles at me… I might need an inhaler or Digoxin to stabilize my heartbeat. Lol. He’s awesome. And he’s only 27.

I’ll be in Indonesia when he comes next month… =’( Sigh… My spirit will be there supporting him though. Will have to wait one more year for his return…

He’s the best, my inspiration.
Thank God for beautiful real music and thank God for him. :)

HAHA…
If YOU manage to get in here… WELCOME! :)

Thanks for the lunch treat @ Sushi Tei!
And for not eating 90% of the food……

Highlight of the day…
Lobster sashimi!!! And remnants of lobster in miso soup *slurp* NICE!

After ordering, with the food served, my long lost friend PETER CHIA told me he couldn’t/can’t take crab and lobster and he didn’t like that fish…

So I had NO CHOICE but to eat most of them hahaha. Felt more insulated after that.

Anyway, it was a good catch up after SO many years. :) Some things never change huh hahaha,

….. …. … .. .

Went down for Song of Solomon bible study after that…

Another great moment with God as His presence and love filled the whole hall.

Honour to be serving the King of kings, especially in the area of nursing. A ‘job’ which people despise and shun away from.

Who would wanna touch the “dirty” people??? Oh you might catch their diseases… Don’t come near me. You mean you have to clean their asses? How disgusting.

Tell me that when YOU are the freakin sicko needing the nursing care and treatments.

I’ll be more than happy not to ‘entertain’ you. Anyway who are you to me right?

I wish I could say that. But as a nurse, we have to treat EVERY patient non-discriminately. Educated or not, rich or poor and in regardless of any diseases.

Like how God also loves us despite our sinful nature, irritating behaviours and wicked thoughts.

He still embraces us in His wide open arms, whether we have contagious diseases, cancers of any kind, HIV… Whatever.

His name is above ALL names. And that includes all the superfluous names of diseases, virus, bacteria… Whatever.

Jesus reigns. :)

. .. … … …. …..

Ah… Cheerful sight! :)
Imagining my store room to be filled with those… :)

Oh man... I'm so sleepy now. (-_-)zzZ

Was on the phone for a good 4 hours last night and had a meeting at 9am earlier... Lol.

And now I can't sleep cos I'll be having piano lesson at 3pm. Have a FEELING I might crank up the lesson.......

I like my teacher though. :)
She'd sms me the day and time of my lesson every week... Cos it seems to always change due to my schedule...

She's been very patient with me, especially with my scales which never seem to be right.

Me: How come ah?
Teacher: PRACTISE!!!

Haha. It was like asking the obvious? However, I asked it with all sincerity cos I thought there might be something wrong with me?

Sigh... I must redeem myself this holiday hahaha.  

..... .... ... .. .  

Had orchestra prac last night, glad to be back after a month of disappearance.

Very touched that TatHaur would always offer to send me home after prac... He's the most encouraging person ever... Always the one coming up to me and commenting that I've improved. Very touched... It's little sentences like that which spur me on...

He's one of the reasons why I am still playing the Cello today. :)

. .. ... .... ....

Ok gtg. Came in to pass my time while waiting for lesson haha.

How productive....

Yay I can finally taste the sweetness of freedom.

It was quite an eventful Monday =P

1) Went to school to submit my attachment documents

2) Went for a medical checkup and a jab for upcoming Indonesia trip

Friend :) Nurse turned patient

Hemoglobin test. :) It happened to be on my 3rd finger.

It was something which I often did in hospital for my patients… I’d always adjust it to the least penetration depth so most of the time there is no pain at all. But for this woman she didn’t and now my poor finger is still hurting, with blood seeping out if I squeeze it hard enough… And that’s after 7 hours. –_-

3) Cleared my hostel room and returned key

 

Path out of hostel. Final goodbye!

4) Wanted to shop alone after that but Dad brought me to Hort Park for a walk instead.

Artistically tormented bamboos

 

And now I’m chilling in the comfort of my room, enjoying the luxury of wasting my time away…

When I should be practising cello or tidying up my room… Or completing my procrastinated stuff for Indo trip… Or finish up reading an overdue library book…

Never mind…

If I were a boy
I’d not sit on a fence
Cos I know it’s gonna hurt down there
And some day I might just fall down

Inspired by Beyonce-“If I Were A Boy”.

….. …. … .. .

It’s the celebrity weekend in CHC! I’m happy to see the manifestation of the Cultural Mandate and the impact Christian celebrities are making in Asia.

No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.
Luke 11:33

What’s the good in containing all the talents, gifts, creativity and love within the four walls of a church, hidden from the world? When already the cemeteries have claimed the ‘honour’ of being the richest places on earth…

There is one dream which I hope to realize when I officially become a nurse. Haha. Giving a time frame of 5-10 years… In the meantime, I shall pray and work on it little by little… Getting excited at the mention of it hahaha. :)

 

P.S: My impression of Vanness Wu was drastically changed today. I was almost mesmerized by him! Lol… That couldn’t have been me man.

@ home, shifted out of hostel.

Attachment has finally come to an end. I can’t say as yet that I’m relieved or excited about holidays, until Monday when we officially submit our case studies and documents.

Even so, I’m sure other commitments would start screaming for my attention after much neglect.

However, I’m gonna say it again that I love everything that I’m doing, :) and I understand that there’s a price to pay in exchange for my loves.

As of now, all I want is a good ‘clean’ break away from everything after one semester + 5 weeks of attachment.

And my idea of a good break is spending time alone by myself, reading a book/playing whatever music however I like/strolling along anywhere listening to my favourite music. :)

Wishing my handphone is not with me…

….. …. … .. .

I love the weekly churchwide bible study! It’s more than just knowing about God, of which I’m very thankful for great pastors who teach closely according to the Word, with such simplicity and wisdom it’s easy to understand. It’s also a time people know God personally as the love of God fills our heart, touching the very core of it.

I’m very proud of our church and all that we are doing, it doesn’t matter if others (especially Christians) disapprove because we are not building a church based on what we think is acceptable to them, but rather according to what God wants us to do.

Truly “a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”
Psalm 84:10

The church is a place of refuge for me, to get away from the world for a little while…

It is a place where my strength is renewed… To know that I can walk out of church feeling recharged and thus being able to transfer and convert that strength into emotional and psychological strength in others.

It’s a place where my character is moulded, where the light of God starkly displays my weaknesses and blindspots.

It’s a place where dreams become reality…

Had a nicely busy day today. :)

Witnessed a bone marrow aspiration/extraction on an 18 year-old girl.

A huge needle was used (the green one in pic) to bore (or hammer) through the bone to extract  the marrow. It was one of the procedures which made me cringe to the extent of feeling nausea.

Although local anesthesia was administered, she was crying in pain.  :( The ordeal lasted for 15-20 minutes. It was a huge relief for all of us when it was over.

….. …. … .. .

Alright some nicer stuff… Lol…

Sunset over hostel

Loraine me Tiffany (my roomie!)
1 month of sticking together in hostel and NUH. :)

Claudia Loraine me
1 month of being together in the same ward, of persevering, of learning, of sleepiness and of joy. :)

 

Last night at NUH. A typical image of a dark corridor with a green EXIT sign. Muahaha.

 

It’s finally our last day @ NUH tmr.
I know I will miss the nurses and patients, yet I can’t wait to flee from NUH hahaha. Talk about emotional conflict.

I reckon I won’t have much of a holiday either… :(

Upcoming events
1) Quartet performance @ Westmall
2) Zone camp @ St John’s
3) Freshman Orientation Camp
4) Overseas CIP trip @ Indonesia
5) School starts
6) Piano exam in August
7) Orchestra concert in August

I’m seeing a huge mountain ahead.
But I’m more than a conqueror yay.
Running on God’s strength!

….. …. … .. .

Let’s talk about drama.

My friend’s friend is attempting to commit suicide at this very moment, after a failed attempt by popping 8 sleeping pills. (Try 10 Panadols, it’s more effective.)

And to think that my patients are fighting hard to preserve their lives at this very moment too.

-_-

When Death calls your name, you can’t run away. However, committing suicide is like running into the arms of Death, celebrating the halt of the tragic life you chose for yourself.

I shan’t comment further on this here, it might become controversial.

Last 3 days @ NUH.

1 month in NUH is gone in a flash, though it was a rather difficult period. Happy to have walked through that and emerged a better nurse. :)

Many perspectives were challenged.
Much knowledge gained.
No regrets choosing this profession. :)

I’m privileged to be posted to the Oncology ward where the essence of nursing is being tested. Honoured to be there for patients in their last days, and to understand the power of a touch and a smile.

The best part I love about nursing is simply to sit by patients, talking/listening to them, assuring them that there are still people who care for them as a human being.

As a nursing student, I do feel guilty for intruding their privacy while witnessing certain procedures, for ‘turning’ them into guinea pigs for my practices and for rendering substandard services.

At the same time, I am grateful for their understanding and cooperation, for inspiring me to be a better nurse and for showing me the fragility and value of life.

This 1 month has certainly been the most fruitful one in my life. :)

….. …. … .. .

Future plans

Nursing

Oncology is one of the specialties I’m considering going into. I’ve ruled out Pediatrics (Children), Gerontology (Elderly), Orthopedic (Bone), Neurology (Brain) & Optometry (Eye).  

Hahaha. Just not comfortable with those.

Music

Planning to return to NUSSO (NUS Symphony Orchestra) next semester onwards, to gain more exposure and improve my skills. Happy that Loraine will be joining me! :)

However, that means not being able to attend rehearsals for church orchestra as both fall on the same day and time. I might not be able to perform in church too.

Hmmm… It’s a rather big step.

Hoping to return a better cellist.

 

We may make a lot of plans, but the LORD will do what he has decided.

Proverbs 19:21

 

Ultimately I just wanna do what I am supposed to do, for the glory of God. :)

Aileen is specially here at this obscure time to wish KARJUN a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY. :)

It has been a joy watching you grow from glory to glory. :) Keep tapping into the potential which God has put in you. As cliche as it is, the sky’s the limit man. :)

Love,
Aileen